Hinge assembly



May 17, 1966 R. l.. FERGISON HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed March 16, 1964 R om T mw V m@ L. w H M United States Patent O 3,251,089 HINGE ASSEMBLY Richard L. Fergison, Canton, Ohio, assignor to Ekco Products Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 352,058 7VClaims. (Cl. 16-151) This invention relates to a hinge assembly which is especially useful in doorinstallations for doorways wherein a track establishes a line of closure along which folding type doors are extendable and collapsible respectively toward and away from closed position.

An object of this invention is the provision of a hinge assembly for folding door installations such that the same may be mounted in fixed relation to the track to provide a bearing into which the pivot pin of a door to be associated therewith 'thereafter has entry to and removal from along a path extending lengthwise of said track.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a hinge assembly as indicated whichincorporates novel locking means for preventing unintentional withdrawal of the door pivot pin from an operative position within the bearing of the hinge assembly.

A further object is to provide a hinge assembly of the character indicated which may be conveniently installed A and which is simple and ecient in use.

Other objects and advantages 'of this invention, it is believed, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation, with portions in section, of a door installation incorporating a hinge assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 2 2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a'fragmentary view showing details of the hinge assembly when the door pivot is locked against removal from anoperative position in relation to said hinge assembly.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be noted that a hinge assembly embodying the features of this invention is illustrated as applied to a folding door installation having a pair of doors and 11, and a doorway having an overhead frame 12 to which a track 13 is secured by screws 14, and upright jamb members 15 deiinirig opposite upright limits of said doorway. A lower pivot block 16 adjustably mounted on a bracket 17 secured to one of the jamb members 15 along the floor of the doorway via screws 18 receives a pivot pin 19 secured to and projecting downwardly from the lower edge of door 10. A rotor 20 carried by a retainer member 21 secured at a selected position within the track 13 provides a bearing which accepts pivot pin 22 secured to and projecting upwardly from the upper edge of door 10 in coaxially aligned Vrelation to the lower pivot pin 19. The pivot pins 19 and 22 in cooperation with the bearing support provided by the lower pivot yblock -16 and-the rotor 20 accordingly establish an axis about which the door 10 has swinging movement toward and away from an extending position along a line of closure lengthwise of the distance between said jamb members 15. The doors 10 and 11 are joined by hinges 23 and a guide roller 24 mounted on a pivot pin 25 extending upwardly from the upper edge of door 11 engages the track 13 whereby the doors 10 and 11 conjointly swing between folded and extended positions while guided lengthwise of the track 13 under control of the guide roller 24. In the closing position the leading edge of door 11 has close fitting engagement with a stop surface S as shown in FIG. 1. This stop surface may be defined 3,251,089 Patented May 17, 1966 by the jamb 15 at the side of the doorway toward which the doors 10 and 11 move when travelling toward an extended position. It may also be delined by the leading edge of a door 11a supported for independent swinging movement about an axis parallel to the axis of swinging movement of doors 10 and 11.

The retainer member 21 consists of a body of molded material, such, for' example, as nylon resin, and, as shown in FIG. 2, is formed to provide a pair of legs 26 which extend in spaced apart relation to define a passageway 27 therebetween along a line lengthwise of the track 13 and opening in the direction toward which the doors 10 and 11 are extendable to assume a doorway closing position. A crotch 28 formed by the area of the retainer member 21 at the junction of the legs 26 presents inner arcuate surface portions facing the passageway 27 which combine with the inner surfaces of the legs 26 adjoining said crotch to form a seat along the arc of a circle of more than 180 degrees and of such diameter as to accept and provide a mountingvfor the rotor whereby the latter is supported for turning movement about an axis in coaxial alignment with the circle containing the arcuate seat in the crotch 28.

The retainer member 21 is also provided witha threaded socket 29 in which a lock screw 30 is threaded and tightened to lock the retainer member in fixed relation to the track 13 along surfaces of flanges 31 at opposite longitudinal sides of the retainer member which have wedging engagement with shoulders 13b along surfaces of the track 13 facing the retainer member. While vthe retainer member thus establishes the position of the rotor 20 relative to the track 13, the legs 26 of the retainer member act through the resiliency thereof to apply frictional resistance to relative turning of the rotor 20. The rotor 20, like the retainer member 21, is preferably a body of molded material such as nylon so as to resist corrosion and also to obtain a low rate lof wear along interengaging surfaces of the retainer member and the rotor as well as between interengaging surfaces of the pivot pin and the rotor.

The rotor 20 establishes the pivotal axis of the pivot pin 22 by a slot 32 of elongated dimension lengthwise of and symmetrically arranged along a straight line containing the axis of the rotor 20 so as to accept the pivot pin 22 and yet allow the pin 22 to have clearance for sideways movement in a fixed path lengthwise of said slot. A constricted throat 33 forms an extension of the slot 32 in the direction which said slot is elongated and said throat intersects the peripheral limits of the rotor as shown in FIG. 2.

The throat 33 and the passageway 27 with which the throat has alignment when the rotor 20 is turned to a rotated position as shown in FIG. 2 dene a continuous open area leading to the slot 32 of the rotor 20. This open area is so related to the dimension of the pivot pin 22 as to permit the latter to enter said area and to spread the legs 26 and the portions of the rotor' 20 at opposite `sides of the throat 33 untilthe pivot pin 22 enters the turning the rotor 20 through a predetermined arc intothe position shown inv FIG. 5 wherein the throat 33 is blocked by the Wall of the crotch 28. A depression 35 formed in the wall of the crotch 28 is selectively engaged by radial projections 36 on the rotor 20' when the latter is either in a first rotated position to admit the pivot pin -to the slot 32 via the passageway 27 and the throat 33 or when the rotor is turned to a second position at degrees variance to said rst position wherein the entrance to slot 32 of the rotor via the throat 33 is blocked by the crotch of the retainer member 21. Accordingly the position of the rotor is indexed by interengagement of either of said projections 36 on the rotor with said depression 35. A collar 39 forming an axial extension of the rotor 2G is of polygonal peripheral contour so as to be engageable by a suitable tool, such as a wrench, to facilitate turning of the rotor between selected rotated positions and thereby overcome the frictional resistance normally applied to the rotor by the legs 26 of the retainer member 21.

Flanges 40 spaced apart axially of and formed integrally with the rotor 20 have seating engagement with shoulders 41 formed in peripheral surfaces of the crotch 218 of the retainer member 21 to trap the rotor against axial movement relative to the retainer member 21, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The preferred embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described, but changes and modifications can be made, and some features can be used in different combinations without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hinge assembly for swinging doors of the type having a track along which said doors are extendable to form a partition and collapsible to be -nested against one another, said assembly including a retainer member fixed to said track, said member having a pair of legs joined by a crotch from which said legs extend in spaced apart relation to define a passageway along a line lengthwise of said track and opening in the direction toward which said doors are extendable, said crotch presenting an arcuate surface facing the passageway between said arms which is of generally cylindrical contour through an arc of more than 180 degrees, a rotor engaging said inner surface of the crotch whereby said rotor is supported for rotation about an axis in coaxial alignment with the cylinder containing said arcuate surface of the crotch while said rotor is subjected to frictional resistance to such rotation through the resiliency of said legs, a slot in said rotor in which a pivot pin is receivable for rotation onan axis coincident with the axis of rotation of said rotor, and a constricted throat forming an extension of said slot and intersecting the peripheral limits of said l rotor, said throat having alignment with the passageway between said legs when said rotor is in a first rotated position to thereby admit said pivot pin to said rotor slot via said passageway, and said throat being blocked by the retainer member when said rotor is in a second rotated position at variance to said first rotated position.

2. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein cooperating projections and depressed portions along interengaging surfaces of said rotor -and said retainer member are effective to releasably index said 'rotor in either of said rotated positions.

3. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said retainer member and said rotor are of molded non-metallic self-lubricating composition.

4. A hinge Aassembly according to claim 1, wherein said rotor is provided with an axial extension outside the contines of said retainer member, said extension having its peripheral contour defined by tlat surfaces for cooperation with the jaws of a tool for turning said rotor.

5. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said rotor and said retainer member have mutually radially offset portions along axially spaced part areas which cooperate to trap the rotor against axial movement relative to the retainer member.

6. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said slot in said rotor is elongated lengthwise of said track to allow movement of said pivot pin relative to said rotor fore and aft of said track.

7. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein said retainer member and said track have mutually offset areas which cooperate to trap the retainer member against withdrawal from said track along a line axially of said rotor, and said retainer member has an internally threaded socket in which a lock screw is threaded and tightened to lock the retainer member in fixed relation to said track along said mutually offset areas.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HINGE ASSEMBLY FOR SWINGING DOORS OF THE TYPE HAVING A TRACK ALONG WHICH SAID DOORS ARE EXTENDABLE TO FORM A PARTITION AND COLLAPSIBLE TO BE NESTED AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, SAID ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A RETAINER MEMBER FIXED TO SAID TRACK, SAID MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF LEGS JOINED BY A CROTCH FROM WHICH SAID LEGS EXTEND IN SPACED APART RELATION TO DEFINE A PASSAGEWAY ALONG A LINE LENGTHWISE OF SAID TRACK AND OPENING IN THE DIRECTION TOWARD WHICH SAID DOORS ARE EXTENDABLE, SAID CROTCH PRESENTING AN ARCUATE SURFACE FACING THE PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN SAID ARMS WHICH IS OF GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL CONTOUR THROUGH AN ARC OF MORE THAN 180 DEGREES, A ROTOR ENGAGING SAID INNER SURFACE OF THE CROTCH WHEREBY SAID ROTOR IS SUPPORTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE CYLINDER CONTAINING SAID ARCUATE SURFACE OF THE CROTCH WHILE SAID ROTOR IS SUBJECTED TO FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE TO SUCH ROTATION THROUGH THE RESILIENCY OF SAID LEGS, A SLOT IN SAID ROTOR IN WHICH A PIVOT PIN IS RECEIVABLE FOR ROTATION ON AN AXIS COINCIDENT WITH THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR, AND A CONSTRICTED THROAT FORMING AN EXTENSION OF SAID SLOT AND INTERSECTING THE PERIPHERAL LIMITS OF SAID ROTOR, SAID THROAT HAVING ALIGNMENT WITH THE PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN SAID LEGS WHEN SAID ROTOR IS IN A FIRST ROTATED POSITION TO THEREBY ADMIT SAID PIVOT PIN TO SAID ROTOR SLOT VIA SAID PASSAGEWAY, AND SAID THROAT BEING BLOCKED BY THE RETAINER MEMBER WHEN SAID ROTOR IS IN A SECOND ROTATED POSITION AT VARIANCE TO SAID FIRST ROTATED POSITION. 